VOA慢速英语--Noun Clauses in Everyday Speech

 

From VOA Learning¹ English, this is Everyday Grammar.

Almost every American has seen or heard of the movie "Forrest Gump."

The film is a touching² story about the life of a man who faces many challenges.

One of the most famous quotes from “Forrest Gump” is this:

My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

These lines might interest you for two reasons.

First, if you mention them to an American, they will probably know what you are talking about. Second, if you study the lines carefully, you can learn how complex grammar is used in everyday speech.

Today on Everyday Grammar, we are going to explore how Americans use noun³ clauses⁵ in speech.

Just like Gump's box of chocolates, this report might have a pleasant surprise for you!

What are noun clauses?

Noun clauses are groups of words that act as a noun. They often begin with words such as if, what, why, and so on. These clauses have a subject and a predicate, just like a sentence. However, they do not act as sentences on their own. Instead, they have an effect on a longer, more complex sentence.

Here is an example. Imagine you do not know the answer to a question in your mathematics class. You could ask, "I wonder if my teacher knows the answer?"

In the sentence, the main clause⁴, "I wonder," is followed by the if - noun clause, "if my teacher knows the answer."

In this report, we are talking about noun clauses that begin with the words what, why, where, and so on. Let’s call them wh- clauses. In technical language, you could call them subordinators. They can act as subjects, objects, complements⁷, and so on.

The good news is this: Americans commonly use if- and wh- noun clauses in a few expressions. Generally, such expressions have one of the following verbs: know, see, and wonder.

We will use lines from popular movies and short examples to show you how Americans use these verbs with different noun clauses.

1. Know

Consider this line from the 2004 film Million Dollar Baby.

"No matter where he is, I thought you should know what kind of man your father really was."

In the sentence, the word what leads to a clause that comes after the verb, know. This is a common pattern in American English.

If you were to visit the United States, you would probably hear expressions such as "I know what..." or "I don't know what..." almost every day.

Speakers will also use different wh- words to introduce clauses. For example, you could say, "I thought you should know why I came here." Or you could say, "I thought you should know where to find the post office.”

You will also hear if-noun clauses with the verb know.

For example, imagine that a person asked you, "Do you know if the museum is near here?" You could say, "No, I don't know if the museum is near here."

2. See

Another word that is commonly followed by an if- or wh- noun clause is the verb see.

Consider this line from the 1998 film “The Truman Show.”

"Do you want another slice?

No, I'm okay.

What else is on?

"Yeah, let's see what else is on."

Where's the TV Guide?

Americans will often use the words "Let's see what...." or "Let's see if..." to make a suggestion, as in the line from The Truman Show.

At other times, speakers will use "Let's see …" in an informal way. They do not necessarily⁸ mean it as a suggestion. Consider this quote from 1999 film, “The Green Mile.”

"Mr. Jingles⁹? Where you been? Been worried about you, boy. You hungry? Hmm? Let's go see if we can't find you something to eat."

These lines show you how some Americans speak, notably¹⁰ in the southeastern United States. The speaker is clearly not making a suggestion; instead, he is speaking to himself in an indirect¹¹ way. Although he uses the negative "can't", he actually means "can."

3. Wonder

Another word that is commonly used with an if- or wh- noun clause is the verb wonder.

The structure "I wonder if..." is commonly used to ask a question. Remember the example, "I wonder if my teacher knows the answer."

Speakers will also use wh-clauses with the verb wonder. Many forgetful people have probably said "I wonder where my keys are?”, for example.

Why these structures are important

Now that you have learned¹² about if-and wh- clauses, think back to the film Forrest Gump.

"My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

Did you notice that Gump uses one of the common grammatical¹³ structures that we have talked about in this report?

Although you might not suspect it, every time you watch an American film, listen to American music, or talk to an American, you can learn more grammar.

All of the structures we have studied today are considered polite, and can be used in formal or informal speech. They also can be used in writing.

The next time you are watching an American film, try to find complex grammatical structures like the ones we talked about. Listen for the words know, see, and wonder. What types of noun clauses do speakers use? How do they organize their sentences?

This process might be difficult. But remember this: you know what you should do.

Words in This Story

grammar – n. the set of rules that explain how words are used in a language

clause – n. grammar: a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb

predicate – n. grammar: the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject

complement⁶ – n. grammar: a word or group of words added to a sentence to make it complete

challenge – n. a difficult test or problem

complement – n. something that completes something else or makes it better

pattern – n. a repeated form or design

introduce – v. to use or make something available for the first time;

stylistic – adj. of or relating to a way of doing things

polite – adj. showing respect to others

formal – adj. of or related to serious of official speech

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

3 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

4 clause   

n.（正式文件或法律文件的）条款，从句，分句

参考例句：

• The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause.这句中有一个主句和一个从句。
• What clause do you require in the contract?你要求在合同中订上什么条款？

5 clauses   

从句( clause的名词复数 )； （法律文件等的）条款

参考例句：

• Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
• Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。

6 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

7 complements   

补充( complement的名词复数 )； 补足语； 补充物； 补集（数）

参考例句：

• His business skill complements her flair for design. 他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
• The isoseismal maps are valuable complements to the instrumental records. 等震线图是仪器记录有价值的补充资料。

8 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

9 jingles   

叮当声( jingle的名词复数 )； 节拍十分规则的简单诗歌

参考例句：

• Can I give Del and Mr. Jingles some? 我可以分一点给戴尔和金格先生吗？
• This story jingles bells for many of my clients. 这个故事对我许多客户来说都耳熟能详。

10 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

11 indirect   

adj.间接的，转弯抹角的，非直接的

参考例句：

• What he said was very indirect.他的话很婉转。
• He gave only an indirect answer.他只作了间接的回答。

12 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

13 grammatical   

adj.语法的，符合语法规则的

参考例句：

• His composition is excellent except for some grammatical mistakes.他的作文写得很好，只有几处语法错误。
• He can barely form a grammatical sentence.他几乎造不出合乎语法的句子。